Technology has tremendous poten- tial to make students smarter, but in most schools we are crippling the technology in ways that hold students back. Is moving from blackboard to whiteboard to interactive whiteboard really prog- ress if nothing changes but the writing surface? Probably not. Is a word processor different from writing by hand, or just easier? Technology is a tool, not a solution. In many schools, we avoid the “teachable mo- ment” in technology. We institute filters and walled gardens around the Internet and pretend to keep students safe, although all we are protecting them

from is thinking and learning

how to evaluate sources. We

lock out Nings, wikis, blogs, and discussion forums, and end up preventing students from being presented with new ideas and taking part in wider discussions in the process. And no instant mes-

saging or e-mail in schools,

because they might get dis-

Technology is one of the most pow- erful tools in our schools today for developing critical-thinking skills.

Stop to think for a minute what critical thinking actually refers to. Critical thinking is the ability to carefully evaluate and think about the information presented to us. Technology—specifically the Inter- net—allows students to look beyond the four walls of the classroom. This means that they no longer see the teacher as the sole source of information. Students are learning to be highly critical of the information they consume, and they even analyze, fact-check, and challenge the information the class- room teacher provides, which is a significant shift

toward critical thinking.

In addition to becoming

better consumers of informa- tion, students are now able to use new technologies to become the producers and editors of information as well. Just letting them know that their work will be posted

tracted! Never mind the opportunities for collaboration that we are quashing. And so we close the doors to discus- sions with each other and beyond the walls of the school. Better to risk inbreeding of thought than to teach students how to think for themselves. What do we allow them to do with technology? We let them cut and paste in new and faster ways. We let them copy information from safe and ap- proved places on the Internet or cap- tive databases. They can type much longer papers without having to think as much about editing, as the com- puter will catch the spelling and most of the grammar mistakes for them. We could use the built-in review tools and let them do peer editing, but that’s a lot of work, and it’s not on the stan- dardized tests anyway. We teach them how to use spread- sheets but not how to use them as powerful evaluative tools. It would

than if they are just developing that work for the teacher. They suddenly see their work as much more impor- tant and will analyze it to a far higher level as they prepare for a highly criti- cal global audience. Their work has meaning because they are contribut- ing to the large community of infor- mation on the Web. Technology also provides oppor- tunities for students to critique their own work and that of others using various forms of wikis. They can re- flect on their own learning through blogging and connect globally to gain new perspectives and learn more than a textbook could ever offer. The problem is that technology is not always used this way in schools. Technology itself will not develop critical-thinking skills in our students. That is the teacher’s role, and although 21 st-century technologies are powerful tools, it is the way the teacher chooses to use those technologies that will

We institute filters and walled gardens around the Internet and pretend to keep students safe, although all we are protecting them from is thinking and learning how to evaluate sources.

take a single class to show fourth graders how to look at the same data in different graph formats using a spreadsheet, but we don’t do it. We treat the data in social studies or sci- ence classes as if it had no relevance to the tools we (sort of) teach them to use in computer class. We teach them just enough of PowerPoint to create exactly the same thing that they used to create on poster board, but not how to use it as part of a power- ful centerpiece for discussion or real interactivity. At least they can make things pretty without having artistic ability. It’s not the same as a critically thought-out presentation, but it fits with the curriculum. We could teach computer science! That’s all about critical thinking. But

most schools don’t teach real com- puter science at all, and fewer than one in eight high schools have an AP Computer Science course. Of course, it’s not on the SAT, is it? For most schools and students, technology has become all about making work easier and faster, which includes avoiding thinking as much as possible. To realize the potential of technology in education, we need to make some systemic changes to how we teach rather than regard technol- ogy as a magic bullet.

—Alfred Thompson is the K–12 computer science academic relations manager for Microsoft. Prior to joining Microsoft, he was a K–12 computer teacher and a schoolwide technology coordinator.

Students are learning to be highly critical of the information they consume, and they even analyze, fact-check, and challenge the information the classroom teacher provides, which is a significant shift toward critical thinking skills.

determine whether they help or hinder the development of students’ critical thinking skills. Therefore, teachers must plan well to ensure that students use these tools to their full potential. Teachers who empower students to take an active part in a wiki, blog, or other Web 2.0 tools are on the right track, as these tools encourage 24/7 critical thinking. In fact, some of these tools demand that level of thought, because editing, revising, critiquing, and commenting are an integral part of their use. As students do not have to wait until they come back into the classroom to use these thinking skills, they become fully immersed in their learning and even- tually become lifelong learners who

evaluate information as active con- sumers of knowledge. Technology provides the tools and the power to actively enhance critical- thinking skills. But for this to be ef- fective, we educators must not just sit back and expect the technology to do it all for us. We must integrate the technologies into the curriculum ap- propriately and teach our students to be critical thinkers through their use.

—Helen Crompton is pursuing her PhD in educa- tion at the University of North Carolina at Cha- pel Hill. For 17 years, she has been involved in education while working in schools in her home country of England and in the United States.

To contribute to future discussions, go to L&L’s group page on the ISTE Community Ning at www.iste-community.org/groups/landl.